


Lesson Learned

by Echele78



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergent, Curses, Episode: s02e02 A Door Into the Dark, Jealous Alec Lightwood, M/M, Malec, Non-Sexual, One-Sided Attraction, Protective Alec Lightwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22902079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Echele78/pseuds/Echele78
Summary: Simon is cursed when he touches an ancient artifact.  What kind of curse is it?  Can it be reversed?  Only time will tell.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Isabelle Lightwood, Alec Lightwood & Jace Wayland, Clary Fray & Simon Lewis, Magnus Bane & Catarina Loss, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Magnus Bane/Simon Lewis
Comments: 4
Kudos: 103
Collections: SHBingo





	Lesson Learned

**Author's Note:**

> For my Shadowhunters Bingo square: Cursed Item

“Welcome to Agra.” Magnus says with a smirk as Simon tries to recover from portalling to the rooftop of Camille’s home in India. As they make their way inside Camille’s home, Simon, of course, has questions. 

“Camille lives in India?” Simon asks, with disbelief in his voice.

Magnus answers Simon matter-of-factly, “Camille lives wherever she wants. Homes all over the globe. She’s always liked to spend the winters in Agra, she loves the smell of lotus blossoms.”

They enter a room full of antiquities from various centuries. Magnus recognizes many of the pieces. “Hmm, I recognize that.” he says as he crosses the room to inspect an ornate blue and white vase. “Ming Dynasty.” Realization dawns on him. “Of course I recognize it. It’s mine!” he huffs. 

Simon couldn’t care less about Magnus’ rediscovered vase. “Well, unless she’s in that vase she’s not here so come on, you said there are like...62 other rooms we have to search.” Simon gets distracted by a rack of swords that he’s passing by. He stops and picks one up to take a closer look.

“You go on. I’ve a few things Camille never returned after one of our...many break-ups. I wanna find them.”

“So you’re not gonna help me find her?” Simon asks Magnus as he gesticulates with the unsheathed sword.

“I portalled you to India. The rest of your Sire Squabble is all on you. Now, go. And find me when you’re ready to leave. Preferably, after you’ve dealt with Camille.”

Simon resheaths the sword and as the sheath firmly closes, he feels a tingle race up his arms then throughout his whole body. He’s not sure what to make of the sensation. He doesn’t want to immediately freak out about it because what if it was just static electricity? He tries to play it off so he stabs the air in front of him several times “testing out the sword” to see if the feeling continues as he says, “Right, because why would you need a powerful warlock when you’ve got a scrappy nerd from Brooklyn?”

Magnus scoffs, “What are you so afraid of?”

“Where do I start??? Elevators, snakes, clowns, Raphael trying to burn my junk off.”

“You’re a vampire, Simon. You’re tougher than you think. Honestly, it’s time to man up.”

At that moment, Simon doesn’t know what’s come over him. He suddenly feels the absolute _need_ to flirt with Magnus. The attraction he feels is almost overwhelming. He can’t help himself when he wiggles his eyebrows as he answers Magnus with, ‘Mmm, would you like that if I 'man up'? I bet you would.”

Magnus looks at Simon quizzically for a second but decides to chalk that comment up to stress. He knows Simon’s pretty freaked out, even if he is trying to play it cool so he dismisses him with a nod of his chin. “You’re wasting time. Get going.” Simon does as he’s told and leaves the room to continue his search for Camille.

♦♦♦♦

Simon searches several floors of Camille’s home but doesn't find her anywhere. He enters a room with a table in the center that bears a golden statue of a cobra. Simon is immediately drawn to the statue. “Whoa”, he says as he touches it on impulse. At his touch, a hidden compartment in the base of the statue opens and a small box slides out. Simon doesn’t have time to investigate the box because at that same moment a live cobra appears in the room with him. He tries to escape but all the doors have locked. For several moments he forgets Magnus’ 'you’re a vampire, time to man up' speech and runs around the room screaming for help, to no avail. Once he finally remembers himself, he successfully encantos the snake, which makes him feel like he’s king of the world.

Right in the middle of his celebration, Magnus portals into the room. “There you are. What’s taking you so long and what are you so excited about?” Before Simon can answer, Magnus notices the live cobra. “And there it is! My baby.”

“Your _baby_?” Simon asks with a tone of jealousy in his voice.

“I created it for Camille ages ago. Best gift I ever gave.”

“Great. Well maybe don’t include me on your Christmas list.”

“He didn’t scare you did he?”

“No, of course not. I manned up, just like you said. I encantoed him.” Magnus gives Simon an impressed smirk. Simon’s feeling bold, still riding the high of defeating the snake, “Oh, are you impressed? We should go out tonight and celebrate together. Maybe some dinner, drinks...see where the night takes us? What do you think?” he asks hopefully.

Magnus is confused about Simon’s forwardness. He’s not sure where this recently developed flirtation is coming from. More importantly he doesn’t understand why it’s happening. Magnus knows Simon is in love with Clary, he doesn't hide it very well. Why he would be flirting with him now, when he knows Magnus and Alec have just started dating, is a mystery.

Magnus decides to ignore Simon’s confusing date request in favor of practicality. “We’ve got to get back to New York and continue the search for Camille. The Clave isn’t going to wait much longer before they start taking drastic measures.” 

Simon is obviously disappointed. “Ah, that's too bad. I was hoping you could show me all your favorite places in India. You know, all the romantic spots you like to visit...with your significant other.” he says as he wiggles his eyebrows suggestively at Magnus.

Magnus is once again very confused. He shakes it off with “Maybe next time.” and opens a portal back to Brooklyn.

♦♦♦♦

They’ve been back to the loft for a couple of hours now. Simon is exasperated with Magnus’ focus on all of the items he just got back from Camille. He stalks over to Magnus, puts his hands on his shoulders, looks him in the eyes and says, “How about you take a break from the _Antiques Roadshow_? It looks like it’s really stressing you out and since the only antique in this room I care about is you, how about we sit and relax together for a little while...enjoy each other's company?”

Magnus shrugs off Simon’s hands. “Okay, that’s enough. I’ve tried to ignore it but.. What the hell, Simon?!?!”

“What?”

“What’s with all the innuendos and flirting and touching?”

“I care about you, that's what. I don’t know why it took me this long. It just occurred to me on our little getaway today how amazing you are. Amazingly hot...and beautiful...and caring...and -”

“Let me stop you right there.” Magnus says as he holds up his hand to interrupt Simon’s rambling. “We were _not_ on a ‘little getaway’. I was helping you search for Camille because the Clave is after her, remember? Where is this coming from? I know you have feelings for Clary. This isn’t you.”

“Oh, it _is_ me. When we were at Camille’s I just felt this, I don’t know, jolt of realization course through my entire body. It was this electricity that when I looked at you, I knew. I knew we would be the perfect couple. I’ve forgotten about Clary. You forget about Alec. Let’s both forget about Camille and the Clave and let’s just run away together, somewhere far away from here. I feel it in my soul that we are meant to be together. I love you Magnus.”

“While forgetting about Camille and the Clave sounds like a wonderful idea, I’ll never forget about Alec. And you won’t forget about Clary. She’s your best friend and I dare say, the true object of your affection. I think-”

“No. You don’t know what you’re saying. Clary means nothing to me and you and Alec haven’t even gone on a first date yet! You and I have have just gotten back from a trip around the world together! Come on, let’s leave right now. No one has to know where we’ve gone.” 

“Simon, this is crazy.” 

“I’m crazy for you.”

Magnus heaves an exasperated sigh. He bows his head and pinches the bridge of his nose. He can’t understand why all of a sudden, Simon is totally infatuated with him. It’s almost like he’s under a spell of some kind. That thought causes alarm bells to go off in Magnus’ brain and he looks up at Simon. “Simon, when _exactly_ did you feel that spark?”

“When we were at Camille’s.”

“Yes, but at what moment when we were there?”

“Well, you had just found your fancy vase and we were talking about how you were going to make me search the house for Camille all by myself. Thanks for that by the way.” Simon thinks a bit more. “Oh, it was right before you told me to man up.”

Magnus thinks back on that conversation. He remembers Simon having a sword in his hands while they were discussing Simon’s fears and how he was tougher than he thought. Oh no...a sword. “Simon, were you holding a sword when you felt the jolt?”

Simon thinks for a second. “Oh yeah, I was! Why? Is that important?”

“Did the sword have a cream and gold sheath encrusted with jewels with a silver-plated tip and silver hilt?” 

“I think so.”

“And did you feel the shock when you resheathed the sword?”

“Yes!!! See, we’re a perfect team. You complete me! How can you not see it?!?” Simon moves closer to Magnus, who backs away. 

“Simon, I want you to listen to me very closely. That sword belonged to a prince Camille was infatuated with over two centuries ago. He did not feel the same for her. Camille being Camille, planned to force him to love her. She stole the sword and had a warlock place a curse on it. Once the sword was back in the prince’s possession, she had to get him to activate the curse. Her plan was to get him in a room alone with her and ask to see the sword. She would gush about how powerful a warrior he was and his proficiency with the sword. Once she was done fawning over him and the sword, he would resheath it and in that moment, the curse would take effect. The curse would make the holder of the sword fall in love with the first person they saw after the curse was activated. Fortunately, and maybe a bit ironically, the prince died in battle before Camille could set her plan in motion so she stole the sword to keep in case she had a need for it in the future. I believe you and I were the unlucky targets of the curse today.”

Simon is incredulous. “No, no, I don’t believe you. The feelings I have for you are not because of a curse. I think they’ve been there from the moment we met but our excursion together today just made me realize that I was trying to hide them. I know better now. I want to be with you Magnus.” Simon once again tries to close the distance between them. Magnus quickly moves away. 

“Simon, I’m going to tell you again, there is no chance for us...with or without a curse.”

“You may think that now but you’ll crumble under the weight of my love. You’ll realize that we are meant to be together. It’s fate, destiny, inevitable. We’ll be together forever. And I mean _forever_ , forever. Warlock and vampire, the Shadow World’s most powerful couple.”

Magnus sighs. “While I’m flattered that you think we would make such an amazing pair, I have to disagree. This is just the curse talking. We’ve got to figure out how to break it so you can go back to being in love with Clary...before Alec finds out about this and puts a stake through your heart.”

♦♦♦♦

Alec hasn’t heard from Magnus since he went to the loft to apologize yesterday . It’s not like they are at the point in their relationship where they talk everyday but there’s a lot of stuff that’s been going on and he just likes to check in to make sure Magnus is okay. With Valentine still on the loose, one can’t be too careful. He’s tried calling several times with no luck. He’s starting to get worried so he decides to go over to Magnus’ to try to find him.

Alec knocks on the door to the loft, which swings open to let him in. As he walks through the doorway he looks around and yells “Magnus, you here?” 

Before he can make it fully into the loft, Simon, seemingly from out of nowhere, appears in front of him. “Oh hey Alec. How’s it going?”

“Simon? What are you doing here? Is Magnus here?”

“Magnus is helping me track down Camille for the Clave.”

“What?!?!” Alec yells and pushes past Simon. “Where’s Magnus?”

“I’m here, Alexander” calls Magnus as he meets Alec in the hallway. “Everything is fine.”

“He’s right.” says Simon as he makes his way past Alec to stand beside Magnus. “Everything’s fine. We just got back from a great trip to Agra, India where we went sightseeing, toured some beautiful real estate and did some antiquing.”

Magnus can see the confusion and...hurt?...on Alec’s face. Shaking his head he tells Alec, “None of that is what it sounds like it is, I can assure you.”

“Then what is it? And what does any of that have to do with finding Camille? And why are you looking for her anyway? Can’t Simon find her on his own? She’s his sire.”

Simon answers instead of Magnus. “Believe me, I’ve tried to find her. You’d think there’d be some super simple Sire Hotline I could use but turns out, it doesn’t work that way. That’s why Magnus is helping me.” He looks at Magnus with what Alec can only describe as adoration and says, “Plus he’s a really wonderful person and an amazing man. His heart’s just so big he wanted to help me. Isn’t that right, Mags?” Simon says as he reaches over to rub Magnus’ arm.

Magnus’ eyes go wide and he brushes away Simon's hand. He can tell, Alec is going to lose his shit any moment now. He barely tolerates Simon under normal circumstances. This is going to push him over the edge.

“Mags? _MAGS_ ? What the hell Simon?!?!?” shouts Alec. He’s not entirely sure what is going on but it’s apparent that Simon is flirting with Magnus. And he _is_ sure that he does _NOT_ like it. Almost unconsciously, he moves towards Simon to possibly beat the immortal life out of him. 

Magnus steps in between Alec and Simon and places his hands on Alec’s chest to stop him. “Alec, I can explain all of this if you just give me a chance.” states Magnus. 

Alec stops and studies Magnus. He doesn’t see anything that would make him think Magnus’ feelings about him, new as they are, have changed. Then he looks back to Simon who is watching Magnus with a look of awe and dare he say it...love? “I’ll give you two minutes.”

Magnus tries his best to calm Alec by rubbing his hands up and down Alec’s arms. “Let’s go into the bedroom. I’m going to need more than two minutes. The situation is...complicated.”

Simon isn’t having any of that. “No way, Magnus. You can’t go to the bedroom with Alec to talk privately about our relation-”

Alec is losing his cool. “I swear to the Angel, Simon, if you don’t shut up right now, I will show you how short a vampire’s life can be when they cross a Shadowhunter.”

Magnus, once again attempting to be the peacekeeper, tries to occupy Simon so he and Alec can talk. “Simon, why don’t you work on opening that box you found at Camille’s? Whatever it contains must be important to Camille or she wouldn’t have had that snake guarding it. Alec and I will be right back. The sooner we find Camille, the sooner we can all move on from this. Okay?”

Simon agrees reluctantly. “You’re right. We need to find her. The Clave is adamant and Aldertree’s really on my ass about her.” He pauses then smirks, “I’d rather you were on my ass though.”

Alec makes another move towards Simon, fists balled and a dangerous look on his face. Magnus grabs him by the arm and drags him out of the room saying, “Simon, figure out the box. We’ll be back.”

♦♦♦♦

“What the hell, Magnus?” Alec asks once they’re alone in Magnus’ bedroom. “What’s with all the flirting and touching? And you went on some kind of trip with him? I don’t understand what’s going on at all.” Alec sits down on the edge of the bed with a defeated sigh, slumping his shoulders and hanging his head down. Magnus can tell by his tone that he’s gone from angry to hurt and upset.

“Simon is cursed. There is no “relationship” as Simon calls it. Because of the curse, he thinks he’s in love with me. The only thing that has happened is some bad flirting, only on his part, and a touch on my arm. I have not returned any of those gestures, I would never do that to you. I promise.” 

Alec looks up at Magnus from his seat on the bed. “Cursed?? I don’t understand. How did that happen?”

“It’s a long story. The short version is Simon touched something he wasn’t supposed to while we were at Camille’s home in India and now he thinks he’s in love with me.”

" _Thinks_ he’s in love with you? How do you know he’s not? How do I know you’re not in love with him?”

Magnus moves closer to Alec. “Alexander…”

Alec stands from the bed quickly and starts to pace around the room. “Don’t _Alexander_ me right now. This is not okay. I’m not okay with this.” Alec stops in front of Magnus and sighs. “I know this...us,” Alec says as he waves his hand back and forth between the two of them, “is new but I thought we were starting to build something special.”

“And we are. Please don’t doubt that. This is a curse, that’s all it is. Whatever Simon thinks he feels is just an illusion. It’s not real. Once the curse is broken, he’ll go back to being the nerdy, annoying Simon who is actually in love with his best friend Clary.”

“How can you be so sure?” Alec questions. 

Magnus closes the distance between them and grasps Alec’s hands between his own, placing their joined hands over his heart, “Because I know how I feel.” Then moving their hands to cover Alec’s heart “and I know you feel what I feel. We’ll figure out how to break Simon’s curse then we can go on that first date you owe me. Okay?”

Alec looks into Magnus’ eyes and sighs with relief, “Okay. I trust you. And I-” Alec inhales sharply, furrows his brow and blinks rapidly, “What do you mean _figure out_ how to break the curse? You don’t know??”

Magnus winces, drops Alec’s hands and moves away from him. Turning back towards him quickly he says, “Not exactly but I’ve an idea of where to start some research. Hopefully it won’t take long to figure it out then perform whatever the reversal spell might be.”

“Hopefully??? I don’t think I’m gonna make it through this.” Alec groans then adds, “And Simon might not either if he doesn’t give it a rest.” 

“Let’s not resort to violence just yet, alright?” Magnus holds out his hand to Alec, “Come on. We’ll make it through together, and with the help of some reinforcements.” Alec immediately takes his hand and they head back to the living room and a cursed Simon.

♦♦♦♦

Magnus calls Catarina for assistance. “Hi Cat. I’ve got a small problem and if you’re available, I could really use your help.” 

“Hey Magnus. What’s the problem?”

“It seems Simon, a fledgling vampire from Raphael’s clan, has been cursed with a spell Camille had placed on an ancient Indian sword. I know the background story of why Camille had the sword cursed but I don't how, or if, the curse can be broken. I could use your help with the research.”

“Hmm, Camille and curses are never a good combination. How is the curse manifesting? How severe are his symptoms?” She’s using her serious ‘nurse voice’.

Magnus sighs. “Well, he’s infatuated with me and thinks we’re in a romantic relationship even though he knows about Alec and me.”

Catarina cackles. “Ha, ha, ha!!!” She’s laughing so hard, he can hear her gasping for air on the other end of the line. “Wait, wait, let me catch my breath.” 

Maybe she’s not taking this so seriously after all. “Okay, ha, ha, yes it’s funny but Alec is about to execute the poor boy.”

At that Catarina’s all business again. “I’m sorry Magnus. I’m over it now.” She sniffs then clears her throat. “What do you need me to do? You know I’ll do just about anything for you. And I don’t want Alec getting into trouble with the Clave before you two have even had a chance to have a relationship. I think he’s going to be really good for you.”

Magnus smiles to himself. He can always count on Catarina’s support. “Thanks. I do too.” After a few seconds of silence he says, “Now, back to the matter at hand. Can you come over to help me scrounge through my books to see if we can find a counterspell?”

“Absolutely. I’ll be there within the hour.”

“Thank you so much Catarina. I really appreciate your help, and especially your friendship.”

“Love you Magnus. See you in a bit.”

“Love you too. Bye”.

♦♦♦♦

Alec calls Jace for moral support but all he gets is mirth. “What do you mean...Simon is...in love with..Magnus?!?!” Jace sputters out between laughs.

Alec is somber. “I’m glad you think this is so funny. You’re my brother, my parabatai, you’re supposed to be on my side. Support me, reassure me that everything will be okay. That this won’t ruin what I’ve just begun with Magnus.”

Hearing Alec’s tone, Jace sobers up straight away. “I’m sorry, Alec. You’re right. There is no way this will affect you and Magnus. That guy must be crazy about you. I mean, he crashed a Clave wedding for you. What can I do to help?”

“I don’t know. I think Magnus and Catarina have the magic curse part covered. I really just need a distraction from Simon’s incessant talk about his ‘relationship’ and the flirty innuendos aimed at Magnus. I swear, he might be immortal, but I’m gonna end him if he keeps it up.”

“Sounds like Simon needs something else to focus on...and maybe a bodyguard. I can handle both. I’ll be over as soon as I can.”

“Thank you, Jace. I really appreciate it. All of it. See you in a bit.”

♦♦♦♦

There’s a knock on the loft’s door. Magnus is busy with Catarina so Alec goes to answer it. He’s expecting Jace but that’s not what he gets. Jace is joined by Izzy and Clary. Seeing the look on Alec’s face Jace holds up his hands in surrender and begins, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t keep them away.” as he steps over the threshold and into the loft. “They both grilled me when I was leaving and I couldn’t escape. Sorry.”

“You don’t expect us to miss out on all this drama do you?” asked Izzy. “Plus I can help Magnus and Catarina with the research.”

“And you?” Alec asks, eyebrows raised, as Clary follows Jace and Izzy inside. “What?” Clary answers with a shrug of her shoulders. “I have to be here to support Simon. He’s so tender-hearted. He’s going to be devastated that Magnus doesn’t share his feelings.” Clary giggled. “I’ll be a good distraction for him, too.”

“Fine. I guess you're all welcome. I could do with some distraction, too.”

Izzy stops and turns around, allowing Clary to pass by her then watching her until she’s made her way into the living room with Jace and Simon. Izzy takes the moment that she is alone with Alec to reassure him. “Everything’s going to be fine, big brother. The curse is going to be broken and Simon will remember he’s madly in love with Clary. Then he’ll remember everything he’s said and done while he was under the spell and be mortified around Magnus, and you, for years to come. Try to take a little solace in that, huh?” Izzy teases as she smiles and winks at her brother.

Alec smirks and laughs lightly as he thinks about it. “Yeah, I guess you’re right about that. Does make me feel a little better.” 

Izzy wraps her arms around Alec’s waist and hugs him as they share the laugh. She moves away but keeps hold of his hand and tugs him toward the living room. “Let’s go see what we can do to get this ‘Break Simon’s Curse Party’ moving, shall we?” Alec laughs again and shakes his head as he follows where his sister leads.

When Izzy and Alec enter the living room, Simon is, thankfully, almost finished telling Clary and Jace about his ‘vacation to India’ with Magnus. “...real estate and did some antiquing.” Simon is animated and beaming ear to ear while he’s telling them about his day. Alec releases Izzy’s hand as he frowns and sighs. “I’m going to go check in with Magnus and Cat.”

“Ok, big brother. We’ll keep Simon company.” Izzy watches him walk away, shoulders slouched, head down. He looks like a whipped puppy. Izzy’s heart breaks for him. She hopes they can fix this quickly so everything can get back to normal. At least, normal for them.

Izzy sighs as well then goes to join the group. As she approaches she hears Clary trying to convince Simon of the truth. “...but Simon, you’re under a spell. Cursed. You know Magnus doesn’t return your feelings, right?”

“He may not right now but he’s going to realize that we’re destined to be together and when that realization hits, I’ll be there to pull him into my arms and start our eternity together.”

“Simon, you’re not listening to reason. Magnus is dating Alec, remember? You went to Alec’s wedding...that Magnus crashed...then Alec strode down the aisle to him and kissed him senseless? Afterwards you were so excited with your comparison to _The Graduate._ Any of this sounding familiar?”

“I remember all of that but none of it matters now. Magnus _will_ change his mind. When he does, I’ll be there.” 

“Ah man, you’re gonna feel like a dumbass once we break this curse.” Jace adds from his spot on the couch.

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see about that, huh?”

“I guess we will.”

♦♦♦♦

Alec enters the apothecary to check on Magnus and Catarina. Magnus looks up as he enters the room. “Ah, Alec, glad you’re here. We think we’ve figured it out.” he says as he smiles at his boyfriend. Wait, boyfriend?? Is that what they were? He’s sure they’re not at that point yet, hell they’ve only kissed once, but he hasn’t felt like this about anyone in a long, long time. He thinks they can be, _will_ be, but he knows they’ll never get there if they don’t break this damn curse.

Alec’s demeanor totally changes with those words and the smile from Magnus. With a smile on his face to mirror Magnus’ and excitement in his voice he asks, “Really?? That’s great news! What do we do?” 

“Let’s go tell everyone all at once, okay?” suggests Catarina.

Magnus looks at Alec who then looks at Catarina and gives her a nod of agreement. Magnus puts an arm around Alec and they follow her out to talk with the rest of the group.

“Guess what guys?” Alec announces as they enter the room. “They’ve found the answer!” he says beaming. 

Ever the professional, Catarina clears her throat then reveals their findings. “This curse is a nasty one. Camille wanted to make sure the prince was bound to her for his whole life. That being said…” she pauses before delivering the blow, “...vampire or not, Simon will die if he doesn’t consummate his relationship with the object of his affection within 12 hours of the spell’s activation. There-” 

“Wait a minute.” Jace interrupts as he stands quickly from the couch. With a quizzical look on his face he asks, “ When you say consummate? You don’t mean...”

Catarina sighs, glances hesitantly at Alec then quickly says, “Yes, I mean have sex with Mag-”

Alec’s eyes go wide and he doesn't wait to hear the rest of what Catarina is going to say. He immediately grabs Magnus and all but drags him back to the bedroom. He slams the door behind them then turns on Magnus, his voice stern, “Absolutely not. There is no universe, alternate dimension, timeline, whatever the hell, that this is okay...that I’m just fine with this, like it’s no big deal.”

“Alec, he’s going to die if we don’t help him. He’s our friend, we have to-”

Alec interrupts, he’s frenzied now, gesticulating wildly with his hands. “Hell no. He’s not _my_ friend, or yours for that matter. He can figure this one out on his own. He’s caused too many problems as it is. He can work with the vampires, and any other warlock, to find a way to break this curse. He’ll-”

“Hey, calm down.” Magnus takes Alec’s hands, stares into his eyes and says soothingly, “Take a breath. Let me finish what we were trying to say in the other room.” Alec looks at Magnus and tries to regain his composure. After almost a minute he exhales heavily and says, “Okay, continue.”

“There’s a potion that will counteract the effects but it requires an extremely rare herb from South America. We can get it but it’s going to take some time. Time that Simon doesn't have. By my calculations, he has around 5 hours left. You say you don’t care about what happens to him but I know you really do. You would beat yourself up for a very long time if he actually did die and there was something we could have done to prevent it. The guilt would eat you alive. I don’t want to see that happen, to you or Simon. Okay? Let’s rejoin the others. We need to come up with a plan. We don’t have time to waste.”

“Thank the Angel there’s another option.” Alec sighs with relief. He pauses to think for a minute now that he’s seeing reason. “And you’re right, about all of it. I don’t want Simon to die.” He nods once in agreement, “I’m with you. Whatever we need to do to get that herb, I’ll do. I just want this to all be over, sooner rather than later.”

“Believe me, I do too.” 

♦♦♦♦

“Alright, here’s the plan. Magnus will portal himself, along with Alec and me to South America. He knows a warlock there that can tell us how to get to the herb.” Jace is in his element now, planning and leading a mission. “Once we know the exact location of the herb, we’ll hike into the Andes mountains to get it. We’ll portal back here as soon as we have it. We can't lose any time so Catarina and Izzy will start the potion while we’re gone. It should be ready for the herb by the time we get back. Simon, you’ll stay here and-”

“No, I’m going with Magnus. I’m not going to let the man I love go traipsing through the jungle with two _Shadowhunters_ who could care less about what happens to him.”

“What the actual fuck, Simon!?!?” Alec shouts. “You know I’m dating Magnus. Of course I care about what happens to him. And Jace is the best warrior we have.”

“I don’t care what you say, I’m going.”

“No Simon, you’re not.” says Magnus. He looks to Alec, silently apologizing for what he’s about to say. He looks back to Simon. “I couldn’t stand it if you were there too. In danger. Just think of all the wild animals...snakes especially, that we may come across. I’d be worried about you the whole time, possibly to the detriment of my own safety. I need to know that you’re here, safe and sound, so I can focus on getting us out of there alive.” 

Simon thinks for a moment then acquiesces. “Alright. I see your point. I wouldn’t want to be a distraction for you. You’re too important to me. I’ll stay here, but I’m not happy about it.”

“Thank you. We all appreciate it.” says Magnus.

Jace clears his throat and looks from Alec to Simon to Magnus. “Now that that’s settled, when can we leave?”

“Five minutes.” says Alec. “I can’t be here any longer than that.”

Magnus looks at him with sympathy and nods. “Five minutes it is.” 

♦♦♦♦

Magnus opens a portal and before he, Alec and Jace can step through, Simon rushes to him and hugs him tightly. “Please be safe. Nothing can happen to you. We’ve just become a couple. I can’t lose you now. I would be inconsolable.” Magnus tries to push Simon off of him. At the same time, Jace steps in and pulls him away then hands him off to Clary. “Ok, enough with the goodbyes. We’ve gotta go.” says Jace as he ushers Magnus and Alec through the portal before Alec can act on the murderous expression that’s on his face.

The portal closes and Simon has a mini breakdown. Clary’s holding on to him while he cries into her shoulder because the ‘love of his life has just left him and he doesn’t know when or if he’ll be back.’ Clary tries to comfort him. “Hey, it’s going to be alright. Magnus is gonna be back before you know it. How about I make you some tea then we can watch a movie, take your mind off things for a while?”

Simon’s cries subside. He sniffs and raises his head from her shoulder. “Yeah, okay. That sounds good. Thanks for being here Fray. You’re a great friend.”

“Hey! I’m your _best_ friend.”

“I stand corrected.” Simon laughs lightly. “I’ll find a movie while you’re making tea.”

“That sounds great. Meet you on the couch in five.”

“I’ll be there.”

♦♦♦♦

As soon as the portal closes, Catarina and Izzy get to work on the potion. It has to steep for several hours before they can add the herb so they start to work quickly. As they work, the topic of conversation naturally turns to Magnus and Alec.

“Magnus has been really good for my brother. He’s starting to come out of his shell. He’d been repressing his feelings for so long, it’s wonderful to see him become more himself. I’ll never be able to thank Magnus enough for that, whether they work out as a couple or not. I think Alec has finally found himself and I’m so happy for him.” Izzy gushes.

Catarina nods. “I agree. I haven’t seen Magnus this happy in...wow, it must be...over a hundred years. Camille did a number on him and he wasn’t the same effervescent, caring person after that. Of course he’s been a wonderful friend but I could tell he was missing something in his life. That something, or _someone_ , that made him want to get out of bed in the morning. Someone who made his life worth living. He has that spark back now and it’s beautiful. I don’t know what the future holds for them either but I hope they’re together for a very long time.”

“Me too. But first we’ve gotta get Simon out of the middle of them!” Izzy laughs.

“You’re not kidding.” Catarina joins in on the laughter. “Magnus usually isn’t one to refuse affection, but he doesn’t want anything to do with Simon. Romantically speaking, I mean.”

“And poor Alec. I’ve seen him mad before, of course, but this...this is another level. I was really afraid for Simon. It’s a good thing Alec and Magnus left because Simon was living on borrowed time, curse or no curse.”

“Yes, Alec does seem to be very protective.”

“He always has been. It’s because he’s a big brother. He’s always taken that role very seriously. His whole life he’s protected Jace, Max and me. We couldn’t have asked for a better brother. We know we can count on him for anything. And we’re always there for him too, no matter what.”

“Magnus is lucky to have found him and your family. Family has always been important to Magnus. Whether it’s family by blood or family that’s made. He’ll do anything for his family and once you’re ‘in’, you’re in for life. I count myself extremely lucky to be a part of his family. I love Magnus and will do anything for him.”

Izzy nods and smiles at Catarina. “I hope one day I’ll be part of the family, too.”

“It looks like you’ve got a pretty good chance.” Catarina replies with a knowing look. “Once we get this potion done!”

They laugh together and keep on working. The conversation continues easily and once they’ve added the final ingredient before the herb, all they can do is wait.

♦♦♦♦

A portal appears in the middle of the loft. Out steps Jace, Alec and Magnus. They’re tired and dirty but otherwise unharmed.

Simon jumps up from the couch and races to Magnus, throwing his arms around him in a tight hug. “You made it! I was so worried.”

Magnus, once again, pries Simon’s arms from around him. “Yes, we’re fine.” He looks to Alec over Simon’s head and grimaces, mouthing a silent “I’m sorry.” as he does so.

Without responding, Alec exhales and looks away from Simon and Magnus to Catarina. “We’ve got the herb. Is the potion ready?” 

“It is. We were starting to get concerned. The clock is really ticking down. We only have...” she looks at her watch, “...less than an hour left.”

Alec begins to usher everyone into the apothecary. “Alright then. No time like the present, right? Let’s get this over with.”

Catarina measures the herb then mixes it into the potion. There’s a puff of smoke and the liquid changes color from yellow to green. “That’s exactly what we were looking for. It’s ready.” She begins to spoon it into a vial for Simon to drink. She hands the filled vial to Simon. “Here you go, Simon. Drink it all. It’s going to taste wretched so I recommend swallowing it quickly.”

“What’ll happen to me once I drink it?”

“Your physical state won’t change. You won’t feel any pain. You will only experience an emotional change.”

“What kind of emotional change?”

“You won’t have those overwhelming feelings for Magnus anymore.”

“I won’t??” Simon asks sadly. “What if I want to keep the feelings?”

Alec steps forward soberly. “Simon, I know what you’re feeling. You feel on top of the world. Like nothing can hurt you as long as you have Magnus by your side. You’ve got this joy just pulsating through your body like an electric current and it’s the best feeling you’ve ever had in your life.” He pauses afraid that he might have given away too much about his own feelings for Magnus. It’s too early in their relationship, he doesn’t want to scare Magnus away. In that moment he decides that it’s worth it to show his cards. He’ll take the chance and hope that Magnus maybe feels some of the same things he does, so he continues, “I know we’re asking a lot of you to give that up.” He looks from Simon to Magnus then back to Simon. “But I _am_ asking. Asking that you do this, not only for me, or any of us, but for yourself. You deserve to feel like this for real and to have the same feelings felt _for you_ by someone who loves you. That person is out there, searching for you and you’ll never find each other if you’re blinded by these false feelings for Magnus. We don’t want you to miss your chance at true happiness.”

Alec looks around the room after he finishes his appeal. Izzy, Clary and Jace are smiling at him like he’s just told them the biggest secret. Catarina has a knowing look on her face and Simon looks resigned. He can’t look at Magnus, he’ll lose the composure he’s trying so desperately to hold onto.

Simon thinks for a moment then says, “I do want that for myself. I deserve to love and be loved, for real. What I feel right now _seems_ so real...but I believe that you all wouldn’t lie to me about it. I trust you. If you think you’ve found something special like that with Magnus, I don’t want to stand in your way.” He crosses the room to Catarina, takes the vial out of her hand and downs it in one gulp.

It’s pretty anticlimactic after that. There’s no flash of light, gust of wind or sonic boom so no one is quite sure if anything has happened. Clary approaches Simon and puts her hand on his back. “Are you okay? How do you feel?”

“I feel...like myself again. There’s no desperate need to be with Magnus.” His head snaps up and he looks to Magnus with wide eyes. “Hey man, I’m sorry about all that. I’m sure that was pretty...awkward for you. You’d be a great boyfriend and all. I’m sure that Alec lo-”

Magnus interrupts, holding his hand up to stop Simon’s commentary, “It’s alright, Simon. I know it was the curse. I’m just glad we were able to make the potion in time.”

“Yeah, me too.” Simon laughs nervously while running his hand through his hair. He looks around the room, being the center of attention is not his favorite thing to be. He needs to get out of here or the embarrassment will kill him. “Well, I’ve had enough ‘fun’ to last me for a while. And I’ve definitely learned my lesson about not touching things that don’t belong to me.” he continues his nervous laugh. “Thank you all, for everything, especially not letting me die. I’m, um, I’m gonna head home.”

“We’ll go, too.” says Izzy. “We can all use some rest.”

Magnus agrees. “Yes, I’m exhausted. Simon, we’ll continue with the search for Camille in the morning. Maybe once we get that box open we’ll get a clue that will help us find her.”

“Okay, that sounds fine.” Simon says timidly as he leaves. 

Everyone else says their goodbyes to Alec and Magnus. Finally the loft is empty, except for the two of them. Alec heaves a relieved sigh, “I’m so glad they’re gone. I mean, I appreciate everything they did but, damn, Simon annoys the hell out of me...on a good day. He makes me crazy. I’m afraid I wasn’t at my best today.”

Magnus moves closer to Alec to run a finger down his chest flirtatiously. “Oh, I don’t know. You were pretty cute when you were all mad and jealous and protective.”

Alec blushes. “I don’t know where we are in our relationship, everything’s so new, but I do know Simon is _not_ a part of it.”

“We’ve definitely had a unique start, haven’t we?” Magnus asks. 

Alec laughs. “You could say that. I’m not an expert but I’m pretty sure we haven’t followed the traditional path”. 

“That’s right!” Magnus says as he snaps his fingers in realization. “We haven’t even been on our first official date yet.”

“Oh yeah. When do you wanna do that? We better not wait too long. Another disaster might strike.”

“How about tomorrow? We’ll go to The Hunter’s Moon, eat, have some drinks, maybe shoot some pool. How’s that sound?”

“That sounds perfect.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
